


best case scenario

by Karentt1



Category: Modern Family (TV)
Genre: Banter, F/M, M/M, Not Beta Read, and this is set way before season 1, but i believe its heavily implied he has improved through the years, gloria and manny arent here and i wish they were, he isn't that nice in here, look my current fixation is a dead fandom, mitchell "daddy issues" pritchett, mitchell rolls his eyes eight times in this, okay so jay isn't that good of a person here, slight homophobic comments, so while i love and respect jay as a character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karentt1/pseuds/Karentt1
Summary: Mitchell takes Cameron to meet his family for the first time. It goes well.(It really doesn't.)
Relationships: Claire Dunphy/Phil Dunphy, Mitchell Pritchett/Cameron Tucker
Comments: 23
Kudos: 94





	best case scenario

**Author's Note:**

> hi fun story about this. i started watching modern family because i thought i wouldn't get hyper fixated on a sitcom and i wanted to give my brain a break from the witcher and jaskier. then Mitchell fucking Pritchett slapped me in the face. the ao3 works for this fandom are atrocious, so i wrote one myself 
> 
> have fun

Mitchell pulled into the driveway of his dad's house. He put the car into park and sighed, placing his head on the wheel in defeat. Through the window he could see Claire and Phil talking, Haley and Luke running around the room, Alex on the couch reading a book silently. He couldn’t see Jay, but the man was probably in the kitchen making dinner, his famous steaks. Anxiety began to rise in his chest, and he tried to steady his breathing. This was happening. He was finally introducing his boyfriend to his family after dragging it out for months. This wasn't going to end well. 

“Is everything alright?” Cameron asked from beside him, sitting in the passenger seat. He reached out a comforting hand to Mitchell's back, rubbing it gently, and Mitchell looked at him carefully. He tried to make himself look excited. 

“Yes,” he lied. “I’m fine. Just nervous.” 

“Don’t be, your dad is going to love me,” Cameron said confidently. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.” 

Mitchell sighed, then unbuckled his seat belt. “I hope you’re right,” he muttered, then turned off the car and walked out, mentally preparing himself for the night. Cameron followed after him and they walked together to the front door, a looming piece of red wood that signified doom. Mitchell could feel his heart start to race and his palms start to sweat. 

It was a grey gloomy day, and rain covered the sidewalk and grass. The air smelled of moisture and dirt. It perfectly reflected Mitchells mood. He didn’t even want to come today, but Cameron insisted, saying something about having to meet Jay eventually. As much as Mitchell hated it, he was inclined to agree. It was bound to happen eventually, better to happen under his rules. So when they got the invitation to come for dinner he reluctantly accepted. Now he was regretting giving into Cameron's demands. 

They made it to the door and Mitchell was just about to ring the doorbell, before he stopped and turned to Cameron. He looked his boyfriend up and down, mentally assessing him. Cameron looked at him quizzically. 

“I know I look amazing, but this is not the time,” Cameron said, and Mitchell rolled his eyes, shaking his head. 

  
“Hey Cam,” Mitchell started. “You know I love you and I would never change anything about you ever, but do you think that you could maybe just,” he stopped trying to find the words, before gesturing to Cameron, “tone all of _that_ down for just one night?”

Cameron put a hand on his hip, looking like a sassy gay queen, and Mitchell almost rolled his eyes again. That was exactly what he was talking about. “You want me to trick your dad into thinking that I’m basically _straight?_ ” He spat the word out like a slur, the way those fake rednecks did when they stopped at a gas station on their way there. God Mitchell hated straight people sometimes. 

“No, no, that’s not what I’m saying,” Mitchell said. “But my dad is still getting used to idea about the whole, you know, gay thing, and I think it would be best if you just weren’t so… extra today.” 

“I’m wearing a bright pink shirt and black skinny jeans Mitchell, that ship has sailed a long time ago,” Cameron said, waving his hand around, using exaggerated hand gestures. Mitchell grabbed it and held it close to him, stopping him from moving his hands. 

“I know, just maybe don’t be as flamboyant as usual, okay?” 

Cameron looked away and didn’t say anything, and Mitchell sighed again. He could sense his boyfriend's irritation with him, and knew he was going to regret it later. He moved closer to Cameron, brushing his fingers against his collar. “I’ll make it up to you later,” he whispered, trying to sound coy, and Cameron finally turned to him again. He raised an eyebrow, and stayed silent. Mitchell groaned, and changed tactics. 

“Come on Cam, please. I really need this.” 

“Fine, I'll try and tone it down,” he finally relented, sounding bored, and Mitchell hugged him tightly.

“Thank you,” he whispered, “I appreciate it.” He moved his face to Cameron's and leaned in, going to kiss him. They were inches away from each other when the door opened, illuminating the sidewalk. Both men looked away from each other to see Claire looking at them with a raised eyebrow. Mitchell could feel his cheeks heating up at his sister's amused look, and he pushed Cameron away. He could feel his boyfriends scathing glare, but he tried to remain focused. He could deal with that later. 

“Don’t just stand there, dad’s getting worried,” she said, sounding like she was about to laugh. “And you already know how he feels about his kids making out with their partners on his front porch.” 

“That was one time,” Mitchell called, pulling away from Cameron into the house. Cameron followed him silently. “I thought you forgot about that," Mitchell continued. 

“Nope,” Claire said, shutting the door behind them. “Just waiting for the right time to bring it up. And I just found it.” 

“I hate you,” Mitchell muttered, and Claire leaned in, pinching his cheek harshly. Mitchell tried to push her hand away, but she was always stronger than him, a fact that pissed him off more than he would care to admit. 

“I’ll live,” she cooed, before walking back into the house. Mitchell could already hear the screaming coming from the children as Phil egged them on. The smell of steak floated through the air and the air was warm. It was a welcoming atmosphere, something Mitchell knew would be broken as soon as he laid eyes on his dad. 

“This is a beautiful home,” Cameron called after her retreating back, his voice deeper, and not as flowy as it usually was, trying to imitate a straight man. Mitchell looked at him funny, and Cameron sighed dramatically. 

“It’s what you wanted,” he said, sounding back to normal, then moved into the house, into the kitchen. Mitchell watched him leave, then took a deep breath to calm himself. The kids continued to scream, their words echoing through the house, and as much as Mitchell loved his nieces and nephews, they were starting to get on his nerves. Mitchell took a few seconds to collect himself, then left to find Cameron before he could find Jay himself. That would be disastrous.

He walked into the living room to see Cameron staring down the Dunphy children, looking awkward. Phil was moving out of the room, calling for Claire and Jay to get into the room to meet their guest. Pots and pans clattered in the kitchen, and Mitchell prepared himself to face his dad for the first time in months. 

“Uncle Mitch, who’s that?” Haley asked, pausing in her plummeting of Luke to look suspiciously at Cameron, who shifted uneasily under her gaze. Mitchell tried to open his mouth, but was interrupted by a commotion in the kitchen. 

“Stop pushing, I’m coming, I’m coming,” Jay called from the kitchen, most likely being pushed by Claire and Phil. Dede was somewhere else in the country, already introduced to Cameron weeks ago. Mitchell supposed that was for the best; the night was already going to be hell, it shouldn’t be made worse by Jay’s and Dede’s stupid feud. Claire knew he was dating someone, but had never met Cameron face to face. Jay on the other hand didn’t even know his son was dating at all. That was what made this night so terrifying. 

“Uncle?” Luke asked, and Mitchell nearly had a heart attack as Jay rounded the corner and finally entered the room, Claire and Phil behind him. He was brushing Phil’s hands off of his shoulder when he finally locked eyes with Cameron. Cameron awkwardly raised his hand to wave hello. 

“Who’s this?” Jay asked, sounding angry. He pointed at Cameron, and Claire slapped him in the arm gently. 

“Dad, don’t be rude,” Claire reprimanded. Jay rubbed his arm slowly, looking shocked Claire would do something like that. Mitchell supposed he should be happy Claire was willing to do that for him. 

“It’s normal for me to be suspicious of anyone I don’t know in this house,” Jay replied, talking to Claire. “I didn’t even know we were having a guest over.” 

“You didn’t even tell him I was coming?” Cameron asked, dropping his straight guy act. Mitchell sighed. That lasted about five minutes. “Unbelievable.” 

“I had a good reason for it,” Mitchell tried to explain, but Cameron just sniffed at him, turning away. He was clearly pissed, and Mitchell cringed, thinking about what he’d have to endure later. He hadn’t told Jay he was bringing his boyfriend because he knew Jay would find some way to sneak out of the dinner, or deny him, so Mitchell hadn’t said a word. But of course Cameron wouldn’t understand that. Both his parents had been loving and accepting ever since he came out, and while Mitchell didn’t want to go as far as to say Cameron didn’t have any parental problems, he would never understand the crippling disappointment from a parent who hated you for something as simple as love. 

“Mitchell who is this…” Jay trailed off, like he was contemplating what he was about to say next. Probably something homophobic, and Mitchell supposed it was progress that he actually stopped before running his mouth in front of his gay son. 

“Yeah, Mitchell, who am I?” Cameron accused, crossing his arms. Mitchell side eyed him, looking betrayed, but he supposed he did deserve that. 

“Dad. Family,” Mitchell said, trying to bring everybody back. They were quickly spiralling out of the control. He took a deep breath and pulled Cameron close, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “This is my boyfriend, Cameron Tucker. He will be joining us for dinner tonight.” He steeled himself for whatever was about to come. 

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, before Luke finally broke the stillness in only a way an innocent little boy not yet used to prejudice in the world could. Mitchell envied him. 

“Cool! I have a new uncle,” Luke cried, running into Cameron's legs, hugging him tightly. “This is going to be so awesome.” 

Cameron laughed, and wrapped his arms around the boy, looking more at ease now with the acceptance of a little boy. He was a music teacher after all, and had experience with kids. Mitchell smiled slightly, relaxing. 

“And who are you?” Cameron asked. Luke looked up at him, his neck practically in half the way the way he was straining it to look up at Cameron. 

“I’m Luke, and that idiot is Haley, and the one reading is Alex,” Luke explained, and Haley got up from the floor from where she was just attacking her little brother, stalking towards Luke. “Uh oh,” Luke muttered at Cameron, and Cameron nodded solemnly. 

“You little rat,” Haley growled, and Luke unravelled himself from Cameron, running away down the hallway. “Don’t listen to him,” Haley smiled at Cameron, her voice sweet, before running after her little brother. They could hear her tackle Luke to the floor, and Luke screaming for help. Claire rolled her eyes, then followed after, Phil walking after her. He patted Cameron's shoulder as he passed by, snapping his fingers, then continued on. It was all he could do for now, but Mitchell wasn’t that concerned with Phil. He already knew Phil was a pretty chill person. He did have his moments of obliviousness, but was an all around decent person. 

“Idiots,” Alex laughed from her place on the couch, pushing up her glasses. She got up from the couch and approached Cameron, holding out her hand, like she was a professional business woman meeting a potential client. “I’m Alex, the favourite child,” she said smugly.

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you,” Cameron said, shaking her hand, trying to match her energy. Alex hummed, then went back to her book, pushing her nose into the pages. Cameron looked at Mitchell strangely, and Mitchell shrugged. That was just how Alex was, an adult in a child's body. At least she had some sense. 

So far, so good. The children seemed fine with Cameron, and Claire and Phil were okay. There was just one more person to get through. He snuck a look at his dad, and felt his heart drop into his stomach. 

Jay looked shocked, his eyes filled with almost disgust. Mitchell pursued his lips and fiddled with his hands, looking down once again. He felt like he was sixteen again, being caught sneaking into the house at 2 am from the quarterback's house, but of course Jay didn’t know that. He didn't even know why he was thinking about the quarterback right now. He could feel Cameron shift from beside him, walking forward, trying to ease the tension. 

“Hi you must be Jay,” he said, holding out a hand in companionship. It was silent for a few seconds, before Mitchell could hear his dad leave the room without a word, heading back into the kitchen to continue making dinner. 

“Well, that was rude,” Cameron said, sounding so nonchalant about the rejection, and Mitchell could feel his heart break into pieces, scattered through his chest. 

He loved his dad, he swear he did. But things had been tense between him and his dad ever since he came out. His dad had stopped calling every Sunday, and Mitchell missed his daily check ins. He knew Jay grew up in a different time, but that was an excuse he could only tolerate for a few days. He could understand the shock from his dad at first, but it had been a few years since he came out, and he could no longer excuse Jay’s unintentional homophobia. It wasn’t fair that he had to keep his relationship a secret for over four months, too scared to say anything to Jay. He had hoped that this dinner could have helped the stifling tension between them, but it wasn’t looking good.

“I’ll talk to him,” Claire said, coming up from behind Mitchell. She placed a hand on his shoulder for a second, trying to be comforting, before walking into the kitchen after Jay. Mitchell watched her leave, then turned back to Cameron, who still looked blissfully kind. 

“You kids need to behave or your mother is going to be mad at all of us,” Phil said, entering the room. Haley and Luke followed after, looking pissed. Luke stuck his tongue out at Haley and Haley nearly punched him before collecting herself once more. “Now go play with each other, okay?”

Both of them muttered their agreements before running off. Phil dusted off his hands, looking proud of himself, then looked over at Mitchell and Cameron. “Kids, you never get tired of them,” Phil said, sticking out his hand for Cameron to take. “Hi, I’m Phil Dunphy, realtor. If you need a house sold, I’m your man.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Cameron said, shaking his hand. He let go and wandered over to the couch. Mitchell sat next to Alex, who shifted slightly, making room without taking her eyes off the pages. Cameron sat beside him and Phil sat across from him on the opposite couch, settling in. 

“So boyfriend!” he said excitedly. “Claire said you had met someone. Good for you,” he continued, sounding obnoxiously happy. “So how’d you two meet?” 

“Well,” Mitchell said, trying to shake off his dads less than ideal reaction to be polite, “we met at a party, and decided to go out for coffee after.” He leaned back in his chair, his legs crossed. That was really all he could say about it. 

Phil leaned back, looking disappointed, clearly expecting more of a story than that. Cameron placed a hand on Mitchells knee, squeezing. 

“That isn’t what happened, Mitchell is just boring,” Cameron said, and Mitchell rolled his eyes. Cameron pointed at him accusingly. “You see that! He spent the entire party showing the whites of his eyes. I said something and he was rolling his eyes at me-” 

“That’s not what happened, I wasn’t rolling my eyes that much. But what did you expect, you entered the room saying, “howdy y’all,” what was I supposed to do?” 

“Maybe not be such a snob? Oh, don't give me that look, you’re a total snob. A regular city boy.” Cameron ignored Mitchell’s muttered “I’m not a snob,” from beside him, instead continuing with the story to an intrigued Phil. 

“Anyway, I spend the entire party trying to prove myself to him, impress him. It was like we were in a fairy tale. I, the dashing knight, trying to court the sheltered princess who rejected my advancements at every-

“First of all, I’m not a princess-” 

“Oh please, you spent that party looking your nose down at me. It was like nothing I did was good enough for you.” 

“Second of all, that’s not what happened.” 

“Excuse me, are you telling this story?” Cameron looked at him for a few seconds silently, and Mitchell raised his hands in surrender. Cameron slowly looked away back at Phil, then continued. Mitchell rolled his eyes from beside his boyfriend instead, and Phil smiled at him. 

“Anyway, he spent the entire party ignoring my advances. But we get to the charades and he picks a word that he knows nobody will get, so he does this instead.” Mitchell makes piano hands, helping his boyfriend with the exaggerated story, and Cameron automatically responds with “Casablanca.” 

Phil raised an eyebrow. Mitchell does the piano hands again. “Casablanca,” Cameron said. 

“It’s kinda weird,” Mitchell said. Cameron ignored him once again. 

“Then we went out for coffee after the party, and Mitchell was smitten with me, it was kind of cute actually.” 

“I wasn’t smitten, and I’m not cute.” 

“Oh darling,” Cameron said patronisingly, and Mitchell pretended to glare, but he could already feel his heart piece itself back together after his dad’s rejection. His boyfriend was just goofy and carefree enough to make him happy again, maybe that was why they worked so well. 

“Oh my God, you two are perfect for each other,” Phil said, looking amazed. 

“Thank you,” Cameron said, doing a little wiggle in his seat. Mitchell laughed slightly, before noticing his dad entering the room again, Claire in tow. He fell silent, and Cameron and Phil followed suit. Jay stood awkwardly at the entrance for a few seconds, like he didn’t know quite what to say. 

“Come on dad, what do you say?” Claire said, like she was scolding a petulant child. Jay looked back at Claire, then towards Cameron. Claire elbowed him slightly, and he grunted. 

“I’m sorry for my behaviour earlier,” Jay began. “I was just shocked, that’s all, Mitchell didn’t mention a boyfriend.” He looked accusingly at Mitchell, and Mitchell looked away, not willing to face that fact. It didn’t excuse his dad’s actions either. 

“Well, that’s perfectly okay.” Cameron reached out and shook Jay’s hand, a quick motion. He didn’t seem at all bothered that the apology was forced, and that if Claire hadn’t been there, both Jay and Mitchell would have just let it linger instead of talking about it. He turned to Mitchell, smiling. “See, I told you your dad would like me.” 

Mitchell saw Jay narrow his eyes, before backing up a few steps, back into the kitchen, like he was running from something. 

“Lets not go that far just yet,” Mitchell said, patting his boyfriend's shoulder, before heading towards Jay. “It’s nice to see you dad.” His voice was cold, and he tried not to let his words betray how angry he was currently. Better stick to something safe. 

“You too son,” Jay said, then waved them into the kitchen, towards the table that was now set. Plates and cutlery were set at every chair, and the food was set out, steaks with buns, potatoes, and salad. Mitchell assumed that was what Jay and Claire were doing while Cameron was telling Phil the story. Claire smiled encouragingly at Mitchell, and he tried his best to smile back. 

“Kids,” Claire yelled into the house. “Dinner time.” Haley walked into the kitchen, followed by Alex still holding her book, and Luke who ran in and almost bumped into Cameron. He managed to stop himself just in time, before continuing on his way with an apology yelled over his shoulder. Cameron watched him go off, laughing. 

“Sweet kid,” he whispered to Mitchell, and Mitchell nodded in agreement. Luke always was one of the greatest kids he knew. 

“Don’t just stand there. Dig in,” Jay said, and everyone took their seats, Alex finally putting down her book. Haley and Alex automatically started fighting over the bread bowl, and Claire had to step in, pulling them apart. Mitchell led Cameron to the seat next to his. Jay sat across from Mitchell, and they could barely look each other in the eyes. The tension was unavoidable between them. 

“Oh Jay, this smells delicious,” Cameron said, the only one not aware of the awkwardness, and Jay grunted again. 

“Use your words dad,” Mitchell muttered, rolling his eyes, and Jay glared at his son. 

“Thank you Cameron,” Jay said, sounding like he would rather be golfing then eating dinner with his family. Mitchell hated the sport, but he agreed with his dad. Anywhere else would be better than here. He could only pray that the rest of the dinner went better. 

The family got dished up, then started talking about their lives. Alex had won the regional spelling bee just a few weeks ago, and Luke was starting basketball in a few months. Jay’s closet business was booming. Cameron found out what Jay’s business was, and Mitchell had to squeeze his hand tightly under the table to keep from making a gay joke. He already knew Cameron was going to text it to him later. 

“So what do you do Cam?” Claire asked halfway through dinner, shoving a piece of potato into her mouth. Cameron wiped his mouth gently, before speaking. 

“I’m a music teacher at a high school,” he started. “It’s a good job, the kids are fantastic. I’m also the assistant football coach, and we’re doing pretty well this year.” 

“Wow, really?” Jay said, sounding unnecessarily surprised. The table went silent, and suddenly everyone seemed to be concentrating on their meal instead. Cameron looked down at his food, and Mitchell felt himself grow even angrier. Fuck, this was why he didn’t even want to do this. He knew it would end in a fight, he had tried to warn Cameron beforehand. He was so going to say “I told you so,” when they got home. 

“What’s that supposed to mean dad?” Mitchell said, voice sharp. Cameron squeezed his hand under the table, trying to calm him, but Mitchell just snatched it back. He didn’t want to remain silent this time. He was tired of excusing his dad. 

“I’m just saying that’s a little weird considering...y’know,” his dad said, sounding like he was justified in his surprise. He may have grown up in a time where gay people were basically considered girly men, but that wasn’t the case anymore, and he was going to have to realise that one day. And even if Cameron may have differed from his dads exceptions of manhood, it didn't make him less of a man. 

“Dad, just stop,” Claire said, trying to keep everyone from yelling. Her kids watched the growing drama with interest, and Mitchell was _so_ glad he could provide entertainment for them. 

“No dad, I don’t know. What did you mean by that?” Mitchell snapped, ignoring his sister. Jay didn’t even look towards Claire, and Claire gave up trying to de-escalate the situation. Phil looked at her sympathetically. 

“I mean come on, you weren’t the most athletic person, I just assumed that was how all gays were,” Jay continued, explaining himself. 

“Oh my God dad, Jesus Christ,” Mitchell groaned. “Just because I’m not doesn’t mean all gays are nonathletic. I’ll have you know Cameron helped his college team win the championship one year.” 

“Okay, okay,” Jay said, holding his hand sup in surrender. “I get it, you don’t need to yell anymore. Gays are athletic, got it.” 

Mitchell didn’t say a word, just took another bite of his steak, not looking at his dad. The table was silent for a few minutes before Phil finally broke the tension in that oblivious way of his. “So Cam, do I hear a little bit of an accent in your voice?” 

“Oh yes,” Cameron said, sounding grateful to finally talk about something else. “I’m from Missouri. I grew up on a farm you know.” 

“He only mentions this a few times a day,” Mitchell joked, trying to force himself to sound happy, and everyone laughed slightly, trying to get rid of the tension, and for the most part it worked. 

“It’s part of who I am, Mitchell, you can’t get rid of it,” Cameron said, and Mitchell rolled his eyes. Claire smiled at him, like a private joke between siblings. Mitchell supposed she understood having a much more dramatic and caring boyfriend being married to Phil. It was funny how they fell in love with people so much different than them. 

“Did you grow up with lots of animals?” Luke asked. He had paused in his making of a potato mountain to jump into the conversation. 

“Of course. We had pigs, cows, chickens, horses, you name it. The Tucker farm was famous all over the state for our fresh meat and vegetables.” 

“That sounds awesome,” Luke said, sounding excited. “Mom, can we get some pigs?” 

“In case you’ve forgotten Luke, we don’t live on a farm, we live in the suburbs. We couldn’t possibly keep a pig in our backyard,” Claire answered sternly. 

“Awww,” Luke sighed, and Phil rubbed his back comfortably. 

“It’s okay buddy,” he said. “You can have some pigs when you’re older and out of the house.” 

“Yes,” Luke yelled, and Cameron laughed. The rest of the dinner progressed relatively better, in the sense that Jay didn’t say anything else. The family cleaned up after, washing dishes and putting the leftover food in containers. Claire and Mitchell caught up on each other's lives, sipping red wine out of crystal glasses in the kitchen. The kids were upstairs running around, and their feet made a booming sound on the wooden floor. Cameron, Phil, and Jay moved to the living room where the TV was playing a football game. For the most part Jay and Cameron seemed comfortable around each other, but Mitchells skin still burned whenever he looked at his dad. 

“He doesn’t get to say that kind of stuff Claire, especially not to my boyfriend,” he said angrily, ranting to Claire. Claire for the most part was sympathetic, but she couldn’t help but defend her dad. Mitchell remembered when they were in high school and she used gay as another word for stupid. He was glad she had grown from that, but it was hard to forget. 

“It’s just who he is, Mitchell. You’ll get through to him eventually.” 

“Easy for you to say, you’re still daddy’s little girl,” he scoffed, leaning against the counter. “Dad loves you.” Claire snorted and opened her mouth, then changed her mind when she saw something over Mitchells shoulder. 

“Hey you guys,” Claire said, watching as Cameron and Jay entered the room, Phil right behind them. She sent a look towards Mitchell, and he rolled his eyes. “How’s the game?” 

Jay opened his mouth to reply, but Cameron beat him to it. “It’s amazing, we’re winning, but if the coach doesn’t pull number three right now, we’re going to lose. We’re on break right now, but we’re starting back up again in a few minutes.” 

Jay looked at him with a raised eyebrow, like he was shocked Cameron was telling the truth from before, that he was actually an assistant football coach. “We just came over to get something to drink,” he said. 

“Yeah, then we’re heading right back over,” Cameron continued, pouring some wine into his own cup. Jay got some whisky, and handed one cup to Phil, who looked lost. 

“Well it’s good that you guys are getting along,” Mitchell said, silently hoping it was true. Cameron beamed at him, and Mitchell felt a little less worried, though no less angry. Cameron may have no problem with stuff like that, but he did. 

Footsteps sounded, and suddenly Luke appeared. He ran over to Claire and stood by her, breathing hard and his face flushed. He looked like he had been running away from something, obviously being chased by a sibling. 

“Everything alright buddy?” Phil asked. 

“I’m fine, Haley was just chasing after me,” Luke breathed. “She’s fast.” The adults laughed, and he looked confused at their amusement. “I think I’ll stay here instead.” 

“That’s alright son, we have more fun,” Jay chuckled, patting Luke's head, before gesturing for them to head back into the living room. Claire and Mitchell went too, sitting on the coach handles, still holding their drinks. Mitchell settled on the same side as his boyfriend, and Claire went next to her dad, while Phil took the rocking chair. The game turned back on, their team winning. Mitchell didn’t understand anything that was going on, but it wasn’t good based on how Cameron and Jay were yelling at the screen. He and Claire exchanged eye rolls at their antics. Luke sat on Phil's lap, and they didn’t know what the two younger Dunphy girls were doing. 

The third quarter passed quickly, their team still winning, and soon the commercials came on. They stayed on the couch, instead talking among themselves, waiting for the fourth quarter. 

“So Cam, how long have you and Mitch been seeing each other?” Jay asked, sounding almost back to normal. Perhaps it was the game that mellowed him out, or maybe the alcohol, but he almost seemed okay with it, okay with Mitchell and Cameron. Mitchell took a deep breath, hoping that was the case. 

“Only for a few months,” Cameron said. “We moved in with each other a month ago.” 

Jay nodded slowly, processing that information. He opened his mouth to say something, but Luke interrupted before he could. 

“Mom and dad live with each other,” he said, the kind of observation only a dumb little kid could make. Mitchell and Claire nodded, wondering where he was going with that.

“Yes we do,” Phil said, smiling at Claire, Luke still in his lap. “We have for a while now.” 

“But you two are married though.” He looked towards Cameron and Mitchell, looking so innocent. “Are you two going to get married?” 

The room went silent. The game started up again on the TV, the announcer's voice filling the room. Mitchell took a sip of his wine, avoiding the question. How do you explain to a little kid that his type of love was outlawed? Why was that even a thing? 

“Well, we’re still getting to know each other,” Cameron said, trying to explain it as best he could. “And legally, we’re not allowed right now.” 

“But we will eventually,” Mitchell interrupted, before seeing Cameron's dazzling look. “If we’re still together by that time, that is,” he amended, blushing. That was just the kind of thing Cameron would make fun of him for later. 

“You still said it,” Cameron said, sounding smitten. “No take backsies.” 

Mitchell rolled his eyes, and smiled into his wine. It may have been just a little bit true. 

“Why isn’t it allowed?” Luke asked. Mitchell wished he would stop prying, and silently urged Claire to do something. Claire shrugged, silently saying “what can I do?” 

“Well Luke, some people think that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” Mitchell said. “And that marriage between two men or two women is bad because of a book written a long time ago.” Luke nodded, like he got it. Mitchell could stress how much he didn’t. He and religion weren't on good terms, but he wasn't about to pass on that particular hatred to his youngest nephew, especially in front of his dad. 

“That’s stupid,” Luke said, and Mitchell agreed, nodding his head. 

“Hopefully that will change soon, but I don’t think it will anytime soon. So we just have to keep fighting until something happens.” 

“You hear that kid,” Jay called from the couch, holding his glass of whiskey close to him. He took a tiny sip before speaking again. “You’ll have to wait a few years to see your uncle in a dress.” 

Instantly the entire mood in the room changed. Claire started drinking more and in the corner of his eye, Mitchell could see Cameron look at his hands, away from the TV. 

“Dad!” Mitchell exclaimed, getting off the couch, standing in front of his dad. He knew his face was flushed, the way it got when he was embarrassed or pissed off. 

“What? Cam wants to instead?” 

“Unbelievable,” Mitchell said, holding his head in his hands. Why did he ever think his dad could change? Cameron stood up, putting his arm around Mitchells shoulder, trying to offer a little bit of comfort. “Do you know how horrible that is?” Mitchell continued. 

“It’s a joke,” Jay said, looking at them. “You don’t have to be so damn sensitive all the time.” 

Mitchell threw his hands up in the air, barely finding the words to yell. “Dad, you seem to think that because we’re two men in a relationship one of us has to be the woman, but that’s not true. Why do you think I’m with Cam anyway? It’s certainly not because he’s a woman, and he’s not with me because I’m a woman either. We're gay.” 

“Calm down, I’m sorry okay?” Jay said, standing up. 

“No, you’re not. Because you’re going to continue making these jokes over and over again no matter what I say.” Mitchell stepped back, Cameron's hand slipping off him. He took a deep breath and wiped his brow. “You know what? I’m leaving. I can’t deal with you right now.” 

“Mitchell, come back,” Jay called, but Mitchell didn’t listen, slamming the front door shut, and heading out into the driveway. It was dark outside and drizzling. He threw open the car door and sat in the front seat, shutting the door. It was cold, and he wished he grabbed a jacket before he stormed off. He leaned his head into the steering wheel and took a deep breath, steadying himself. He refused to cry because then he’d just be proving something to his dad, so instead he blinked really fast so they wouldn’t fall. 

He really thought things were getting better. Jay hadn’t thrown a hissy fit when Cameron had entered the house, the way he had when Mitchell first came out, so Mitchell had counted that as a win. But apparently a tiger couldn’t change all its spots, and he was foolish for thinking that Jay would ever be completely okay with him. 

Jesus fuck, sometimes he hated straight people. 

The passenger seat door opened, then shut, and Mitchell could hear someone in the seat, the leather creaking under them. “Cam, I don’t want to talk about it,” he sighed, not looking up. 

“Actually it’s me,” his sister said, looking straight ahead, through the house window. Mitchell turned his head on the steering wheel to look at her. She looked as strict as ever, and sometimes Mitchell couldn’t believe his wild and free sister had become so motherly in the last few years. He supposed children changed you. “I came to check on you.” 

“Well, you’ve checked on me. Everything’s fine, you can go now.” 

“Somehow I don’t think that’s true,” Claire said, and Mitchell raised his head. His sister was wearing his dad's heavy coat, the one he used for hunting, and for a second Mitchell thought she was him. 

“What else can I say Claire? He was a prick, and I shouldn’t have expected anything else from him.” He shrugged, and bit his tongue, already feeling the tears come again. “You wouldn’t expect a man who is divorced to care so much about traditional marriage.” 

“I mean, it’s over and done with now. It’s all uphill from here right?” 

“But what if it’s isn’t Claire? What if he’s always like this?” 

“Then I’ll yell at him until he understands he can’t treat you or Cam like that,” Claire replied. She leaned her head on Mitchells shoulder, a welcome weight, and Mitchell turned his head to lay it on hers. It reminded him of the day when she had broken up with her first boyfriend and she had angrily thrown him the car to drive him across the state. They had ended up at some run down hotel and they spent the night there before heading back home to a furious Dede and Jay. It was one of his fondest memories of Claire, the way she had tried to fill a hole in her heart by making a perfect day for her little brother. She had been seventeen, him fifteen. “What happened today was a lot better than before though.”

Yikes. Mitchell remembered coming out to his dad. That had been one hell of a shitstorm. 

Mitchell chuckled softly, already feeling himself calm down next to his sister. “I mean, it wasn't the best case scenario, but it certainly wasn't the worst.” 

“What was the worst?” 

“I don’t know, that he would drag Cam and me out of the house until we promised never to return? That he’d disown me as a son?” 

Claire laughed wetly, like she was caught between a breakdown. “I don’t think dad would ever do that to you.” 

Mitchell shrugged and went silent. Somewhere an owl called into the night, and the window from the house revealed buttery yellow light. A shadow moved across the now closed curtain and Mitchell wondered what was happening. He had left Cameron alone in the house, alone with Jay. He hoped his boyfriend was alright. 

“What was the best case scenario?” Claire asked from beside him after a few minutes. 

“He welcomes Cam with open arms and he doesn’t make homophobic jokes all night.” 

“Wow, the bar is so low huh?” 

Mitchell lifted his head to look at his hands. “Yeah it is,” he muttered. It was so low even his traditional father could meet it if he really tried. It was silent once more until he spoke up once again. “Actually there was one thing that I kind of wanted to happen, but-” he paused and shook his hands. “No, it’s stupid.” 

“Come on, what is it?” Claire whined. She poked him in the shoulder harshly and he yelped, rubbing the spot. “Tell me, tell me, tell me.” She kept poking him and he leaned away from her, until he was pressed against the glass trying to get away from her sharp nails. 

“No, no, no, fine!” he yelled and Claire cheered, finally relenting her attack. “Okay, so it’s a little bit weird but do you remember when dad first met Phil?” 

“Oh my God, how could I forget?” 

“Yeah, he saw Phil trying to sneak in through your window at, what was it, 12 am? Anyway, he caught him and he dragged him into the house, and spent a good hour screaming that he wasn’t good enough for his little girl and he never would be.” Mitchell fiddled with his hands for a few seconds before continuing. “Well, I kinda wish he had done the same for Cam.” 

“Oh no, you don’t want that,” Claire warned, “Phil still gets nightmares.” 

Mitchell laughed. “I did say it was stupid, but it meant he cared about you, you know? It was his way of saying he loved you and that he only wanted the best for his little girl. Only this time, instead of his little girl, I wanted it to be his little boy. It would be nice to know he actually cares about me.” 

The car was silent. “Dad loves you, you know that right?” Claire said, finally looking at him. She looked so concerned, so worried, and Mitchell felt his heart clench in his chest. 

“I know he does,” he said, sighing. “I just wish he actually showed it for once.” 

“Look Mitchell,” Claire said, taking his hands into hers. She looked deep into his eyes, and she sounded so sure of herself, Mitchell was almost jealous that she had that type of confidence. “This will get better. I promise. And in a few years, you and dad will be joking around together, and things will be okay between you guys. You just need to have hope.” 

“Promise?” Mitchell asked. 

“Promise,” Claire muttered, kissing his forehead. Mitchell laughed, then pulled his hands back from Claire's grip to rest them on the steering wheel. 

“It’s getting late, we should go,” he said, and Claire nodded. 

“Shame you can’t stay for dessert. I’ll bring you some tomorrow, okay?” 

“Okay,” Mitchell replied. Then: “Can you get Cam? I don’t want to head back inside there right now.” 

“Of course I can,” Claire said, then opened the car door. She stepped out, then paused and turned around. She looked around the driveway, like looking for spies, before whispering, “we’re throwing a dinner party next week, dad isn’t coming. Would you like to come along? You can bring Cam.” 

And maybe it was selfish to say yes, to exclude his father from a family activity, but Mitchell thought that maybe he deserved this. “Sure,” he said, and Claire nodded, before exiting the car and walking back to the house. Mitchell watched her enter the house, then a few minutes later Cameron closed the door and walked towards the car. 

“Hey,” he said, opening the passenger door, sounding just as happy and bouncy as he usually did. “Are you okay? I was going to check up on you, but Claire beat me to it.” 

“Yeah I’m fine,” Mitchell said, starting the car, then backing out of the driveway. He turned onto the road, and in the corner of his eye, the curtain to the window shifted, like someone had been peeking out, watching them leave. “I’m sorry you had to go through that tonight. My dad and I aren’t on the best terms.” 

“Yeah, I can see that. That man is scary, he threatened to disembowel me. Twice,” Cameron said, making his over exaggerated hand gestures. 

“He what?” Mitchell yelled, slamming on the brakes. Both him and Cameron flew forwards, and Mitchell automatically started looking for a place to turn around, pressing the gas pedal again. Inside his head he berated himself for leaving his boyfriend alone with his father, how stupid was he? “He can’t say that to you, just because you’re gay-” 

“It wasn’t because I’m gay Mitchell,” Cameron said, sounding exasperated, like he was dealing with a child. “Just drive us home okay?” 

“He threatened you Cam-” 

“It’s fine Mitchell, don’t worry.” 

Mitchell took a deep breath, then let it out. “Okay,” he relented, giving up his search for a turnabout. He would just have to call his dad when they got home, he had to learn it wasn’t okay. 

“And besides, disembowelment wasn’t the worst thing he threatened to do,” Cameron continued, sounding way too nonchalant for someone who was just threatened by his boyfriends dad. “He said he'd do much worse things to me if I ever hurt you.” 

“Really?” Mitchell said, shocked. He tried to keep his eyes on the road, but he couldn’t help but steal a few quick peeks at his boyfriend. His heart hammered in his chest, like war drums. “He threatened you if you ever hurt me?” 

“Yeah, it was actually kind of sweet if I hadn’t been scared out of my mind at the time.” 

“What exactly did he say?” Mitchell asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. It wasn’t good to be happy when your boyfriend was just threatened with disembowelment, but this was what he wanted. To know that his dad cares about him enough to threaten a man. 

“Well, I believe his exact words were “I don’t know how gay guys do it, so I’ll just treat Mitch like I would my daughter-”” 

“Of course he did,” Mitchell muttered, rolling his eyes. Well, it was sweet while it lasted. The moment was almost perfect, but of course his dad had to ruin it by comparing him to a woman. Well, small victories.

“But he said that if I ever hurt you, he’d hunt me down, and that he didn’t think I was good enough for you, and a bunch of other really disturbing stuff. That man has seen some stuff, because he was way too comfortable describing that shit.” 

“What does he know?” Mitchell said, trying to stamp out the rising warmth in his chest. Cameron kept babbling on beside him, but all Mitchell could focus on was that maybe his dad really did care and maybe Claire was right. Things would get better between them. 

In a few months Jay would invite them both over for dinner, and he would make a few more borderline homophobic comments and Mitchell would get mad, and the cycle would repeat until Mitchells wedding day and even passed that, but things did get better. And that was all Mitchell wanted. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
